Ellen June Wright

IN THE AUTOPSY I AM BOTH CORONER AND CORPSE

the deceased

was a woman of African descent

in her late 50s

examination reveals she suffered from

several maladies:

from signs of early onset dementia

and alopecia and eczema

and advanced thyroid disease

enlarged thyroid with cysts pressing on larynx

morbid obesity

BMI greater than 40

left breast is larger than the right

both have been surgically altered

the right has had significant tissue removed

5 clips hold right breast tissue together

she has evidence of a past port insert

she has had a partial hysterectomy

with cervix intact

ovaries intact

left ovary has cyst

she has bilateral knee implants

varicose veins in the right leg

fallen arches and flat feet

she has no tattoos or piercings

remains cannot be donated

remains to be cremated

cause of death is all of the above

or inconclusive

or poverty

or racism

or ignorance

laid out upon the table

circumstances of death unknown

perhaps I died of natural causes

sleeping in my own bed

perhaps I died from all my fears

never released

or prayed away

Ellen June Wright was born in Bedford, England of West Indian parents. She has worked as a and consultant on guides for three PBS poetry series. She has been published in Louisiana Literature, Exit 13, Fourth River, and Hurricane Review and is the founder of Poets of Color virtual poetry workshop. Full Profile

Ellen June Wright was born in England of West Indian parents and immigrated to the United States as a child. She attended school in New Jersey and taught high-school language arts there for three decades. She has worked as a consulting teacher on the guides for three PBS poetry series: Poetry Haven, Fooling with Words and the Language of Life. Her work has been published in River Mouth Review, Santa Fe Writers Project, New York Quarterly Magazine, The Elevation Review, Solstice, Paterson Literary Review, The Caribbean Writer and, is forthcoming in, Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora. Her work was also selected as The Missouri Review’s Poem of the Week for their website and was featured in the article, Exceptional Prose Poetry From Around the Web: June 2021 by Jose Hernandez Diaz, and she received five 2021 Pushcart Prize nominations for her poetry... Full Profile